Alessandro Farnese

Alessandro Farnese (5 October 1520-2 March 1589) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was created a cardinal at the age of fourteen by his grandfather, Pope Paul III.

Biography
Alessandro Farnese was born in Castello Valentano, Tuscany on 5 October 1520, the son of Pope Paul III's illegitimate son Pier Luigi Farnese. He studied at Bologna, and his grandfather appointed him a Cardinal of the Catholic Church on 18 December 1534, when Farnese was just 14. He served as Vice Chancellor of the Church from 1535 to 1589, Governor of Tivoli from 1535 to 1550, Archpriest of St. Mary Major Basilica, Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica, Titular Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia and Velletri, and Dean of the College of Cardinals from 1580 to 1589. He also served as a Papal legate and diplomat during the Italian Wars. Alessandro died in 1589.